Any experience is probably good experience for Bangladesh, but the timing of the Asia Cup, sandwiched between the Test and one-day series in England, has denied Tamim Iqbal the chance for an overseas slot in the revamped Friends Provident t20.

Just as Northamptonshire have taken the imaginative step of signing Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe all-rounder, so Iqbal would have made an eye-catching addition for a forward-looking county, rather than employing a former Test player or minor Australian.

Would Iqbal have been a gamble? Probably not. Save for a few blows from Graeme Swann yesterday, his was the most entertaining batting.